Rogue Lawyer

John Grisham, “Rogue Lawyer,”  Doubleday, 2015, 352 pp. Kindle Version

I was helping a friend figure out how to get downloadable Kindle books from our library in Naples, FL.  Up popped “Rogue Lawyer” as a free download—who could resist?  The novel is a legal thriller about an unconventional street lawyer named Sebastian Rudd. I found it very entertaining until near the end when the stories became a bit implausible, at least for me.  All-in-all, this book is nowhere near the quality of the author's 1998 book Street Lawyer.  Sometimes I get the feeling that once some authors get an established reputation, they then just start writing quickly for a paycheck (some I believe may even use ghost writers).

Plot

Sebastian Rudd is a street lawyer, his office is a black customized bulletproof van, complete with Wi-Fi, a bar, a small fridge, and fine leather chairs. He has no firm, no partners, and only one employee: his heavily armed driver, who used to be his client, and who also happens to be his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddie, who he calls—wait for it--“Partner.”  Sebastian drinks bourbon and carries a gun. His beautiful ex-wife is a lawyer too, and she left him for another woman while they were still married. He only gets to see his son for 36 hours per month and his ex-wife wants to stop all visits. He defends people other lawyers won't go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult who is accused of murdering two girls; a vicious crime lord on death row who escaped before his eyes; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house, and killed his wife and dogs; a Mixed martial arts fighter who killed a referee after losing a fight. In between these adventures, he's contacted by a serial kidnapper and killer who's involved in human trafficking, and knows the whereabouts of the assistant chief of police's missing daughter.